One local expert shares tips on how to deal with uncomfortable conversations this holiday season

We’re coming out of a presidential election, and this tends to polarize people.

At least that’s according to sociologist Dr. Randall Blazak, who studies political tensions through his federally funded organization, Cure PNW.

“Right now the right and the left see each other as these caricatures. Like, if you’ve got a red hat on, I know everything I need to know about you, or if you know, you voted for Harris. I know everything I need to know about you,” said Dr. Blazak. “A lot of that has to do with the impact of social media and how people are kind of in silos, where they just have these echo chambers of people that agree with them. Then they have to kind of appear back in the real world, maybe at a family reunion and be in a room with people who have differing opinions."

Dr. Blazak says you can give yourself permission to not discuss politics during the holidays.

“Another tip is to kind of ask people, what do you want to get out of this conversation? What if you’re asking me these issues I feel like you’re maybe pushing some buttons. What’s your end game?” said Dr. Blazak.

He says you can also think things through beforehand.

“There are going to be places where we’re going to be challenged where there is that uncle, who always says that thing, and so we can think before we go into those settings, so we go to a family gathering, for example. Okay. I’ve got my own uncle and I know that he’s gonna say something that’s going to set me off. How am I going to respond?” said Dr. Blazak.

At the end of the day, Dr. Blazak says we have to live in a world where people think differently.

And you might realize that people aren’t just their politics. If you need some help navigating the waters around tense or escalating conversations, click here to see how you can contact a helpline.

https://katu.com/news/local/how-to-deal-with-uncomfortable-conversations-this-holiday-season-randy-blazak

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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: November 30, 2024, 3:00 am.

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